Taraba Speaker Advocates National Tea Policy to Boost Local Production
Wole Ayodele
The Speaker, Taraba State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Abel Peter Diah has enjoined the federal government to formulate a National Tea policy in order to boost local production of tea in the country.
The Speaker, who made the call while receiving members of the Senior Executive Course 39 of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) Kuru who paid a courtesy visit to the Assembly on Wednesday, said lack of a national policy on tea was hindering the realisation of the country’s full potential in tea production.
Diah argued that the Mambilla Beverages Company, which is the only tea producing factory in West Africa has the capacity to meet the tea requirement of Nigeria as well as exports, adding that can only be realisable if the federal government regulates tea imports in order to boost local production.
According to him, “There is an urgent need for the federal government to formulate a national tea policy in order to boost local production of tea in the country. There must be a deliberate attempt to regulate importation of tea if we’re to become self-sufficient and generate foreign exchange through exports.”
He noted that Mambilla Beverages produces all the varieties of tea including green and black tea, which are very fresh and more beneficial for human consumption than the expired tea being imported into the country from other parts of the world. The company, he further noted, has recently been revitalised by Governor Darius Ishaku, who procured state of the art equipment that are currently the most modern machinery for tea production in the world thereby positioning it to meet national demand.
Diah also noted that lack of inclusiveness of the locals in policy formulation in the country over the years was responsible for some policy failures in the country stressing that policies were being formulated in Abuja without the involvement of the local communities who are expected to key into and benefit from such policies. Insisting that Taraba has the potential to produce food for the entire nation if giving the necessary support, he appealed to the federal government to ensure fertilizers and other agricultural inputs meant for the state are availed at the beginning of each cropping season to enable the state to maximise its agricultural potentials. “I want to appeal to the federal government to consider Taraba for fertilisers and other farm inputs at the beginning of every cropping season to enable us feed the nation.
He however commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his commitment to the realisation of Mambilla Hydro Power Plant project which is expected to generate 3050 MW of electricity saying his administration has demonstrated the zeal to ensure the project takes off.